Industry Leaders Concerned Cybersecurity Not in Place to Prevent Cyber Terrorism to Businesses

Jack Harrington, Vice President of Cybersecurity and Special Missions, Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services

(Thursday, February 19, 2015) - The 2015 Global Cybersecurity Megatrends Survey of more than 1,000 cyber security leaders finds a strong concern that during the next three years cyber terrorism and cybercrime will pose significant risks to businesses. But, what is alarming, is the finding that only one-third of those surveyedbelieve their organizations are prepared to deal with the risks and fewer than half say their organizations have sufficient resources to meet cybersecurity requirements.

Jack Harrington, vice president of Cybersecurity and Special Missions for Raytheonâ€™s Intelligence, information and Services says senior leaders need to make cybersecurity a strategic priority and invest in the resources and manpower to stop security breaches from happening.

SOUNDBITE #1:

IN TODAYâ€™S INFORMATION ECONOMY, WHERE EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED, THE HEALTH AND VIABILITY OF A COMPANYâ€™S NETWORK DEFINES THE COMPANYâ€™S ABILITY TO THRIVE AND SURVIVE. WHEN only FORTY-SEVEN PERCENT OF THE RESPONDENTS BELIEVE THEIR ORGANIZATIONS TAKE APPROPRIATE STEPS TO COMPLY WITH THE LEADING CYBERSECURITY STANDARDS, THIS POINTS TO A big BLIND-SPOT FOR MANY BUSINESS LEADERS.

SOUNDBITE #2:

SECURITY OFFICERS NEED TO MAKE THEIR C-E-Os AND BOARD MEMBERS AWARE THAT CYBERSECURITY HAS TO BECOME A PRIORITY TO PROTECT ASSETS AND INFRASTRUCTURE, ESPECIALLY WHEN MORE THAN ONE-THIRD OF THOSE SURVEYED BELIEVE ATTACKS ON CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE WILL BECOME ONE OF THE WORLDâ€™S MOST PREVALENT THREATS. ITâ€™S EVIDENT FROM THE SURVEY THAT BUSINESSES NEED HELP AND ITâ€™S FRIGHTENING THAT SIXTY-SIX PERCENT OF THOSE SURVEYED ADMIT THEIR ORGANIZATIONS NEED MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE AND EXPERIENCED CYBERSECURITY PRACTITIONERS.